Apple no longer most admired company, but tops UK brand list

Apple could be about to drop off the top spot from Fortune magazine's prestigious World's Most Admired Companies list. The list doesn't come out until later in the week, but according to a blog post by Forbes' Brad Chase, the company isn't likely to retain its number one placing.

Chase writes that while Apple "isn't going to disappear anytime soon", the company's image isn't what it once was. "[T]he value of the once-invincible brand is teetering on the edge of a long, steady drop," he writes.

Apple has won the Most Admired award five times on the trot, so it'd be quite a shock if it was snubbed this year.

The company is still doing well over here though, behind only Rolex in the minds of Brits, according to the Superbrands survey, which identifies the UK's strongest brands. Apple came one spot ahead of Microsoft, and four ahead of Google. Facebook was the only other tech company in the top 20, placed at 14.

Apple also topped the Business Superbrands list, two places ahead of Google, five ahead of IBM, and seven ahead of Microsoft.

The consumer Superbrands survey asked more than 2,900 members of the general public which brands they thought had the best reputations. The business poll quizzed more than 1,900 professionals about their companies of choice.